Coal-compressing device.



PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.,

J.B.LADD. GOAL GOMPRESSING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24. 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1 '80 MODEL.

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PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

J. B. LADD GOAL GOMPRESSING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1903.

4 BHBET8-SHEET 4.

110 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES PATE T Patented June 16, 1903.

OFFIQE.

JAMES B. LADD, OF WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE SEMET- SOLVAY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

COAL-COMPRE SSING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,374, dated June 16, 1903. Application filed February 24.. 1903. Serial No. 144,622. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES B. LADD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wayne, Delaware county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Coal-Compressing Device, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to coal-compressing means as adapted for use in connection with that class of coke-oven-charging machines in which the charge of coal is compressed into a cake and then carried into the oven by the longitudinal motion of a carrier, called a peel, which generally serves also as the bottom of the box in which the cake is formed.

The object of my inventionis to afford improved and efficient means for compressing the coal in bulk by direct application of pressure and also to aiford means in connection therewith for moving the compressed cake toward or into the oven.

Ordinarily the coal is formed into a cake by said rammers does not penetrate sufficiently far into the coal to form it into a useful cake if rammed in bulk.

A very high pressure per unit of area is re-- quired to compress coal sufficiently to form it into cakes suitable for coke-oven use, and on this account machines adapted for compressing coal in bulk by direct application of pressure are very heavy and expensive. Moreover, it has been the practice to apply pressure to either the ends or the top of the box-viz., in the direction of one of the greatest dimensions of the cake. These cakes are usually relatively much greater in height and length than in width, a common size being sixteen incheswide, six feet high, and thirty Jxperiments show that the greater feet long.

the thickuessor depth of the coal between the surfaces on which the pressure is applied the greater is the force required to produce the desired amount of compression. 1 therefore apply pressure to the sides of the boxthat is, in the direction of the least dimension of the cakeand I am thereby enabled to construct a comparatively light and inexpensive machine. as 1 deal with a minimum amount of pressure. I also cause this compression to take place in a box that is entirely closed-that is, before the sides are moved together, the box being completely filled, a top lid is fastened down so as to posi- -tively confine the coal as it is being compressed, as hereinafter described. I also move the sides of the box into the contracted position for the purpose of compressing the coal by a power multiplying mechanism. This mechanism consists of toggle-levers so disposed that the power applied will have the greatest effect at the point of greatest resistance-that is, so that the maximum force is exerted against the coal at the point of final contraction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of my device. Fig. ,2 is a vertical section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section 011 line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. at is an elevation of the front end or end toward the furnace. Fig. 5 is a partial plan view showing the sides in the closed or compressed position. Fig. 6 is a similar View showing the sides in the final forward or withdrawn position. Fig. 7 is a partial plan View showing means for moving the sides laterally without any longitudinal movement thereof.

The box in which the coal is compressed has usually a movable bottom or peel 1, which serves also as a carrier to convey the cake of coal into the oven. The sides 2 2 of the boX are strongly built and supported against lateral pressure by links 3, which also serve as carriers for the sides 2. These sides are attached to the links by the pivot connections 4 and 5, the upper connection 4 serving to carry the weight of the sides, as shown. The links 3 are supported against lateral motion by heavy girders 6 and are supported by stepped bearings 8, which carry their Weight,

and top bearings 9, which hold them up against the girders 6. Suitably-formed bearing-plates 1O serve to give proper support for the ends of the links The girders (5 are held securely againstlateral pressure and tied together in pairs by substantial bars 7, some of which also serve to support the peel 1 by means of the girders 11 and rollers 12, as usual. Slotted brackets 13, attached to the sides of the box, extend over stiff plates 14, attached to the girders 11, which support the peel 1, and thus prevent the sides from moving vertically away from the peel, while permitting them to movelaterally. The bottom of the box is formed by the peel 1, which is provided with rack-teeth 15 on its lower side engaging with a pinion 16, which serves to move the peel longitudinally into the oven. During the forward movement of the sides of the box the pinion 16 is disengaged from the driving power, so that the peel is left free to be moved by the sides. The top 17 of the box is secured to one side by hinges 1S and during the period of compression is held again-st vertical movement by bracket 19, with which it engages when the sides are moved together. The front end 20 of the box is socured to one of the sides by hinges 21 and to the other side by latches or bolts 22, which permit it to slide under them when the sides are moved together. The rear end 23 of the box is well braced and the whole attached to the peel 1 by a pin 24. This pin 24 may be removed, so that the whole rear end 23 of the box may be moved back independent of the peel, as usual, when the cake is in the oven. This end 23 is made narrower than the space between the sides of the box. The gaps caused by the narrowness of the end 23 are closed by vertical angles 25, which are attached to the sides 2 of the box and serve to cause the end 23, and with it the peel 1, to move longitudinally-when the sides move forward. The gear-operated screw 26 serves to move the sides 2 forward and back by means of the connecting-rods 27, and from the construction shown and described it is evident that as the sides 2 of the box are moved forward they willat the same time be first forced together, as shown in Fig. 5, and then moved apart, as shown in Fig. 6. As above suggested by this construction, at the point of the initialforward movement of the sides and their consequent initial contraction the least resistance is offered bythe soft uncompressed coal. The resistance offered by the coal increases as the sides move toward each other, and the coal becomes more and more compressed until the point of maximum compression is reached, and at the same time the toggle-links 3 are assuming the position more and more nearly approaching the perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the are placed in relative positions, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The box is filled with moist ground coal and the top is closed down, as shown in Fig. 3. The whole machine is then traversed along the tracks in front of the ovens and stopped in line with the oven to be charged, the door of which has of course been previously opened. The sides are then forced forward and toward each other by the action of the gear-operated screw. As the sides move forward they carry with them'the top, ends, and the bottom of the box, all of which are so secured to them, as described above, that they remain in fixed positions relative to each other and are at the same time supported rigidly against pressure from within the box. The forward motion of the sides 2 causes them to be forced toward each other by links 3 until they occupy the position shown in Fig. 5, in'which position the coal is compressed into a cake of the desired thickness. As the sides2 are moved forward from the position shown in Fig. 5 they are caused to recede from each other by the links 3 and finally occupy the position shown in Fig. 6, in which the compressed cake of coal stands clear of the sides. The latches 22 are then withdrawn, the front end 20 and the cover 17 are swung open, and the peel 1, with the cake on it, is moved forward into the oven by means of the rack and pinion 15 and 16, the latter being rotated by power from a suitable source, such as an electric motor. When the cake is fully within the oven, the pin 2-1 is removed and the back end 23 of the box is removed. The oven door is then closed against the cake, and the sides having been returned to the initial position by the reverse movement of the screw means the peel 1 is withdrawn to initial position by reversing the rotating movement of the pinion. The back 23 is then replaced with its braces in the original position and secured by the pin 24, and the whole machine is then trav-' ersed along to the coal-supply for a repetition of the operation.

I do not wish to restrict myself to the use of the screw means for moving the sides of the box, as it is evident that'the motion, with ample power, may be applied in a number of other ways-such, for instance, as by a hydraulic cylinder.

I do not wish to limit myself to moving the sides of the box longitudinally in the operation of forcing them toward each other, as it is evident that they may be forced toward each other in a number of other ways and without longitudinal movement, as by means of double links or toggle 28, as in the construction shown in Fig. 7. It is also to be noted that the rear movement of the sides of the box, which form the compressed cake, as shown in Fig. 1, may be caused by reversing the operation of the gear-driven screw as soon as the compression'has been performed, instead of continuing the forward motion, as above described.

While I prefer to move both sides of the box laterally, as described, it is evident that similar results may be accomplished by moving but one side laterally. By the use of the expression forcing or moving the sides to ward each other it is intended that the phrase cover the motion of either one or both sides towardthe other.

It is evident that the sides of the box may be forced toward each other by the application of power in other ways than the one which I have shown and described, and -I therefore do not wish to confine myself to the specific methods shown in the drawings nor to the specific construction shown for holding the sides, top, and bottom in relative positions in so far as my invention consists, broadly, in applying pressure in the direction of its least dimension to the charge of coal confined on all sides and in applying such pressure so as to compress the entire charge at one and the same time. Furthermore, my method of compressing coal may be used entirelyindependent of means for conveying the coal compressed to and discharging it into the coke ovens. Thus the actual work of compressing the coal maybe done bya machine especially adapted for the purpose, and the compressed coal, with or without the box in which it was formed, may be transferred to and charged into the oven by means entirely independent of the machine which compresses it.

Where the term contraction of its sides is used in the claims I mean by that exprescause a diminished cubical capacity of the receptacle.

What I claim is- 1. In a coal-compressing device, means for subjecting the entire mass of coal to pressure in a closed receptacle, the bottom of which is a movable 'peel adapted to convey the coal into the oven.

2. In a coal-compressing device, means forsubjecting the entire mass of coal to pressure at one operation in a closed receptacle, the bottom of which isa movable peel adapted to convey the coal into the oven.

3. In a coal-compressing device, the combination of a receptacle having laterally-movable sides, a front end, a rear end, a top and bottom so secured as to maintain fixed positions, relative to each other, and means whereby their longitudinal movement shall be caused by the longitudinal movement of the sides.

4. In a coal-compressing device, the combination of a receptacle comprising a bottom, ends and top, and means for locking same in fixed relative position; sides adapted to have a forward contracting movement, and means for imparting the forward movement of the sides to the top, bottom and ends, and means for causing said movement of the sides.

5. In a coal-compressing device, the combination of a receptacle comprising a movable bottom, a hinged front end, a removable back end, a hinged top and means for locking said parts in fixed relative position, laterally-movable sides adapted to have a forward contracting movement, means whereby said forward movement of the sides is imparted to the members above recited, and means whereby the forward movement of the sides is caused.

6. In a coal-compressing device, the combination of a receptacle comprising a movable bottom, a hinged front end, a removable back end, a hinged top, and means for locking said parts in fixed relative position, laterally-movable sides adapted to have a forward contracting and receding movement, means whereby said forward movement of the sides is imparted to the members above recited, and means whereby the forward movement of the sides is caused.

7. In a coal-compressing device the combination of a closed receptacle having laterallymovable sides, means for causing the longitudinal reciprocation of said sides and means whereby the said sides are caused to advance toward each other to compress the coal and then to recede from each other by said longitudinal movement.

8. In a coal-compressing device the combination of a receptacle having a movable peel, a movable front end, a movable rear end, a movable top, and means for locking said members in fixed relative position, side members adapted to cooperate with the members above enumerated by moving toward each other to compress the coal.

9. In a coal-compressing device, a receptacle having bottom, ends and top all independently movable and adapted to be locked in fixed relative positions,and laterally-movable side members adapted to cooperate therewith in compressing the coal.

10. In a coal-compressing device a receptacle havingbottom,endsand top eachindependently movable, disengageable means for locking the same in fixed relative positions, laterally-movable side members and means for causing contraction and expansion of the said side members and overlapping means for adjustable connection between the side members and the other members of the receptacle.

11. In a device for compressing coal, a receptacle closed on all sides having movable side members mounted on oppositely-disposed pivoted links, so that the longitudinal movement of the side members will cause them to advance toward each other to compress the coal and recede from each other, and means for causing simultaneous longitudinal movement of said side members.

12. A coal-compressing device comprising a receptacle having a movable peel and sides adapted to be moved longitudinally, and so mounted that said longitudinal movement will cause the said sides to advance toward and recede from each other, and disengageable means for connecting the peel with the sides to cause the movement of the sides to be communicated to the peel.

13. In a coal-compressing device a receptacle having a movable peel, and sides, having a simultaneous longitudinal andlateral movement, and means whereby the longitudinal movement of the sides is communicated to the peel.

14. In a coal-compressing device a receptacle having a movable peel, sides having a simultaneous longitudinal and lateral movement, and means whereby the longitudinal movement of the sides is communicated to the peel and means for communicating movement to: the sides.

15. In a coal-com pressing device a receptacle having a movable peel, sides having a simultaneous longitudinal and lateral movement, and means-whereby the longitudinal movement of the sides is communicated to the peel, and power-multiplying means for communicating movement to the sides.

16. In a coal compressing device, a receptacle closed on all sides having a longitudinally-movable peel, laterally-movable sides, and power-multiplying means for causing the lateral movement of the sides toward each other to compress the coal and from each other. 7 17. In a coal-compressing device, a receptacle having a longitudinally-movable peel, removable ends and top-members and laterally-movable sides,-and overlapping means for maintaining closure between the bottom, ends and top and the sides during the lateral movement of the sides.

18.' In a coal-compressing device, a receptacle having a longitudinally-movable peel, removable ends and top members, laterallymovable sides and overlapping means for maintaining closure between the bottom, ends and top, and power-multiplying means for causing the lateral movement of the sides.

19. A coal-compressing device, comprising a receptacle closed on all sides having laterally-movable sides, and screw means for exerting force through power-m ultiplying mechanism to cause the cooperating lateral movement of the sides in the direction of the least dimension of the receptacle.

20. Means for compressing, in the direction of its least dimension, a charge of coal confined on all sides, to form the same into a self-sustaining cake, comprising a receptacle having its length. and its height greater than its widt-h,'and means for causing the movement of the sides of the receptacle toward each other to cause the compression of the coal contained in the receptacle.

21. In a coal compressing and charging device the combination of a movable peel, side members longitudinally movable and also laterally movable toward and away from each other, an end member secured to the peel and means whereby the side members engage the end members to communicate their longitudinal movement to the peel.

22. In a coal compressing and charging device, the combination of a movable peel, side members longitudinally movable and also laterally movable toward and away from each other, an end member detachably secured to the peel and means whereby the side members engage the end members to communicate their longitudinal movement to the peel. 23. In a coal compressing and charging device the combination of a movable peel, disengageable means for moving the same, side members longitudinally movable and also laterally movable toward and away from each other, an end member detachably secured to the peel, and means whereby the side members engage the end members to communicate their longitudinal movement to the peel.

JAMES B. LADD. Witnesses:

WILLIAM E. CHAPMAN, ALIoE T. BURROUGH. 

